Lies
by Monsters of NY
Summary: Two years before the events of "City at War", Karai Saki is just about to finish her Foot undercover ops training. Her final assignment: to infiltrate Cyberbiotics Japan and steal their plans for a cloaking shield. Part of "Monsters of New York".
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Notes: **

_I first began this fic, because frankly, I really, really like corsets/women in corsets, to the point where I'll try to insert them into stories whenever I think I can get away with it. I created this story as an attempt to get the compulsion out of my system before working on stories where random mentions of female underwear wouldn't work half as well. However, it eventually evolved into what you see here, and sets up several events which will be important on later stories._

_**About **_**Monsters of New York**_**: **_Monsters of New York_ is the series title for a group of stories I have planned crossing over the second _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ cartoon with _Gargoyles_. Unlike the usual crossover fanfic, part of the aim of this project is to intertwine both properties as seamlessly as possible–which means, that among other things, I have to explain stuff like why the Gargoyles aren't around in 2003 (aside from the obvious) and appearance of the pyramid/Eye of Providence iconography is used by both the Illuminati and in C.F. Volpehart's (_TMNT_, "The Darkness Within") mansion. It also means that anything canon remains canon–the Gargoyles had their canon adventures from 1994 to 1997, while the turtles had theirs from 2003 to 2009. Why do it this way? Cause the restrictions make it more fun. It also means that you'll have to be familiar with both stories in order to make sense of it all–if you're a _TMNT _fan who knows nothing about _Gargoyles_, watch it–I'll wait. If you're a Gargoyles fan who knows nothing about the TMNT…ditto. It's worth it. Other entries in the series, as well as supplementary material such as timelines and episode reviews for both series, can be seen at _.com/ .

_**Setting: ** Tokyo, Japan, in the year 2002_

_**Legal Disclaimers:** Gargoyles and related characters are trademarks of Disney Enterprises, Inc., and was created by Greg Weisman and a host of other talented people. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and related characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc., and were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. No copyright infringement is intended. Original characters are, of course, mine._

_**Credit where credit is due:** To those familiar with recent Mirage comics, yes, the Lin here is supposed to be that one. Credit goes to Tristan Huw Jones for creating her. Thanks, Tristan!_

----

**Lies, Chapter 1: On Drinking While Corsetted**

Karai shifted uncomfortably in her seat, something she had had to do far too often that evening, thanks to the corset tightly gripping her midsection. She had complained about having to wear it, to no avail; her target, Lin had argued, was a man of rather particular tastes, and anything the young ninja could do to help lower his guard only helped. It was that particular reason that had led to the tarty and somewhat humiliating outfit Karai now wore: too-short skirt, sky-blue stockings, impractical heels she nevertheless honestly loved, and the corset/top, which favored everyone with a good look at her enhanced cleavage. Completing the look was a pair of stylish glasses—leave no kink unturned. Classy.

"This is ridiculous," Karai told Lin for the umpteempht time. "I feel like a prostitute."

"That's part of the point of this exercise, actually," Lin said, as she tried to be loud enough to be heard without being overheard—a bit paranoid, perhaps, given the general too-loud noise level at the bar, but that's what Lin was like. She was dressed not dissimilarly to Karai, although she carried the look quite a bit more convincingly, since it wasn't too different from what she usually wore. "This line of work, you're hardly going to be limited to dignity-preserving assignments; you'll have to sell your role even if you're supposed to be the biggest tramp in Kabukichō—which, by the way, you totally are right now."

"Are you drunk?"

"A bit. You need to be too—people can tell when you're faking it. Still, it's a compliment. I would pay to do nasty things to you right now."

"Wonderful," Karai answered sarcastically. Although she loved Lin dearly, the older ninja's not-at-all hidden-crush on Ms. Saki was not something she was really comfortable with. Still, whatever her reservations, Karai was glad to be able to spend time with Lin—she'd seen far too little of her ever since the older ninja had finished her undercover ops training, and given that they had been joined a the hip prior to that, her absence had been deeply felt.

The mission was straightforward enough: Karai was to seduce her way into the life of one Joshua Claiborne, and use him to obtain a certain bit of information belonging to his employer, Cyberbiotics Japan. While retrieving the information was the mission's main priority, it was also meant to gauge Karai's abilities as an undercover operative: in order to be truly successful, she would have to get in and out without raising any eyebrows. Hence, the hour spent at this second-rate bar in Shibuya, where, if Foot Intelligence was to be believed, Joshua occasionally spent time after work.

"There's our target," said Lin, suddenly becoming deadly serious. She pointed at the entrance, where the most unremarkable man Karai had ever seen had just entered. Average hair, average build, average clothing…had Karai been asked what she imagined the average Japanese youth (or half-Japanese, in this case) to look like, it would have been exactly like what she was currently staring at. His unremarkableness, was, in a word, remarkable.

Karai watched as Claiborne joined what appeared to be a group of friends, where he talked to them for a minute before heading to the bar. "Scenario A?" Karai signed, to which Lin responded in the affirmative.

Karai mentally shifted into character as she watched Lin approach Joshua. Gone was Karai Saki, replaced by Karai Himeru, the vegan psychology student who used "boku" and "omae" instead of "atakushi" and "anata", tightlaced, unabashedly classified herself as an otaku, and went crazy over boys with shaggy hair. Making use of her lip-reading skills, she could more or less make out what Lin was saying. "Could you please tell my friend that she looks fine? She's been self-conscious all night and it's annoying the hell out of me" —Karai suppressed a smile at that—"Please?"

Obedient Joshua did just that, taking a quick glance at Karai. The glance then turned into a stare, which turned into a linger. It wasn't until Karai said a hesitant "hello" that his eyes regained their focus and he was able to respond with a greeting of his own.

"Sorry about that. I'm Joshua. Hi. I'm sure you get this all the time, but you have an absolutely fantastic figure."

"Well, thank you for the compliment, apology accepted. Hello yourself." She smiled her most appreciative smile. "Did that girl over there tell you to come say that?" she said, pointing at Lin.

"Yes, she did—at least, the 'come talk to you' bit. But I really do think you look amazing. In any case, now that I've…well, now that I've severed all ties between me and my dignity, I was wondering, you two like to join my friends and I over a couple of drinks? One of them just got promoted, so he's paying for everyone for the night."

"Good-looking men and free drinks?" Lin interrupted. "How can we resist? My name's Lin, by the way; the one you're drooling over is Karai."

The newly-established threesome rejoined Joshua's party, which was engaged in a conversation about one of the group's recently-ended relationship.

"So she just up and left?" Karai asked. "No letter or anything?"

"That's right," answered Shinji, the victim. "One week after she agrees to marry me—gone. Evaporated. Vanished."

"So what did you do?" Lin asked, with a look of concern whose authenticity Karai could not determine.

"Not much I could do: I called the police, but all they did was quickly establish that she hadn't left against her will. So in the end I just manned up and decided to auction off all her stuff."

"Okay…and how long ago was this?"

"A week ago. I can show you some of her stuff, if you're interested; you're about her size, Lin."

"Damn," Karai said. Then, turning to Joshua, said: "Your friend bounces back quick, doesn't he? Kind of impressive."

"Yes, to both counts. All I know is that if that happened to me, I probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed for a month."

_Well, you'll get to test that soon enough_, Karai thought.

After an hour or so, Joshua's party excused itself, explaining that they were heading out for some karaoke, and inviting the girls to come along. Soon the group had moved to one of Tokyo's ubiquitous karaoke establishments, where, after getting sloshed, Karai and Joshua sang a duet of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". To everyone's surprise, Joshua turned out to have the better voice of the two by a fair margin.

"Well, that was fun," Karai said. "Although I think I'd better get home. Lin?"

"Aww…but I was just starting to have fun…" her partner pouted. Her right hand, Karai noticed, was fondling Shinji's left thigh. "Can't Joshua take you home?"

"Well…" Karai pretended to ponder. "If he wants to, sure, why not? Joshua? You interested?"

"Sure. No problem."

Karai's apartment was Spartan in its choice of furnishings, which made the larger-than-average rooms seem gargantuan. What furniture there was of the highest quality.

"Do you want anything to drink? Beer?" Karai asked, from the kitchen.

"I'll have some milk, please."

"Milk? Really?"

"What? It tastes good and it's healthy. Plus, I'm all alcoholed out."

"Geek."

As they drank on opposite sides of the couch, Karai noticed that Joshua, despite seeming comfortable, was still keeping his distance. "You okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Joshua said, with some hesitation. "It's just…I'm not usually in this position. I keep waiting for that moment when I'll inevitably screw up."

Well, at least the boy was honest. "Well, then, how about this"—she sat on his lap and begin nibbling on his ear—"There's absolutely no way you're screwing up tonight."

To Karai's initial surprise, the Foot's training program for undercover operatives had included an extensive segment on sex. Sex, her instructors had argued, was one of the most potent tools in an operatives' arsenal, so it was imperative for them to actually be good at it. One particular detail the trainers stressed was the importance of making the act enjoyable no matter the circumstances. After all, just because you're using sex as a weapon to eventually destroy a person's life doesn't mean one couldn't have fun in the process. A consummate student, Karai had taken those lessons to heart and so was able to make the most of Joshua's lack of technique.

Per Joshua's request, Karai had left the corset on during sex, and she was pleasantly surprised to find it quite erotic. Perhaps it was the unrelenting pressure around her midsection, the way it only allowed her to draw small, hurried breaths, or how it made her breasts impossible to ignore, but suddenly she felt acutely aware of everything around her, the way she usually did when fighting someone. The sticky coolness of their sweat, the slow rise and fall of her breasts, his fingers between hers, the feeling of Joshua inside her…all were magnified tenfold.

—-

After two consecutive lovemaking sessions, Karai took her leave, but not before arranging a future date with Joshua, to be set a week hence.


	2. Chapter 2

Karai let out a gasp of air as the corset closed in on her waist. Not the most comfortable feeling, but she was resolute. "Tighter, Lin!" she exclaimed.

"You know, I remember a time when you wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything remotely constricting. Last week, no? So why the change?"

"No change (oof!). If wearing this thing helps keep Joshua happy and my cover intact, I see no reason not to wear it. Pure pragmatism," she said with a sly smile.

"Sweetie, the guy's already smitten with you," Lin continued as eliminated any slack in the corset laces. "Fetish or not, I'm sure he doesn't expect you to torture yourself every time you're with him."

"Oh, you're being overdramatic."

The new corset was a shorter version of the one worn at the club, this one stopping just below the breasts. This time, she'd decided to reduce her waist some 12 centimeters, an idea whose merit now seemed increasingly dubious.

"There, all done," Lin finally said, as she tied up the excess corset lace into a bow.

"Thank you."

"No problem, sweetie. Anyway, like I was saying, it's okay if you like the guy—  
he seemed harmless enough from what I saw of him, so go nuts. Still, don't forget that you're on a mission; you're eventually going to have to break his heart and ditch him."

Karai felt a sudden twinge in her stomach. She hoped it had come from the corset. "I know my orders," she responded.

"Good. Well, I won't keep you, then. Have fun!"

—

Joshua Claiborne couldn't believe his luck. While his innate inconspicuousness usually suited him just fine, it had the annoying side effect of making him (nearly) completely unattractive to the opposite sex. Any woman he managed to find a rapport with would inevitable give him the "I don't think of you that way" speech. What made Karai different? Joshua had no clue, and at this point, he didn't much care.

"So, Mr. Claiborne," Karai asked, as the couple waited for their food to arrive. "What exactly is it you do at that company of yours?"

"Well, I'm Senior network administrator. I make sure the network works—it's not really that interesting. How about you?"  
_  
__I'm training to take over the largest crime syndicate in the world. Also, I'm working on my M.B.A._ is what Karai would have said, if she was being totally honest. Instead, she told him the previously-concocted story of how she hoped to become a psychologist. The talk continued over similarly mundane lines until the food arrived. As they ate, Karai asked Joshua what had brought him to Japan.

"Robots."

"Robots?"

"Did you ever watch _New Century Evangelion_?"

"Giant robots. Hopelessly screwed up people. Mindfuck ending," she said, stressing "mindfuck" in English. "I'm familiar with it."

"Well, I first watched it when I was in high school. A friend of mine had just imported the series—this was back when it hadn't been officially translated—and shown it to me. It seemed like the coolest thing ever. It made me realize that that's what I wanted to do."

"Build giant robots."

"Yeah. I got my degree on computer science, then moved here to try to get my master's."

"And…?"

"Well, I couldn't. I ran myself ragged for months, and I still couldn't make the grade. After having a small mental breakdown, I decided to give it up.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"So eventually, I found my current job at Cyberbiotics—nothing fancy, and not what I expected to be doing when I turned 23, but it's at least somewhat tangentially related to robotics."

"It's not that I'm dissatisfied—not really," Joshua continued, between bites of his sashimi. "The work is okay, and I'm making okay money—I just expected to be somewhere else at this stage. Okay, so maybe I am dissatisfied."

At the moment, however, Joshua was very much not dissatisfied; he was too busy staring at his dinner companion to even think about it. Those eyes. That hair. That _perfect_ hourglass figure. All that in a geeky, non-Japanese personality? It didn't seem possible (it wasn't).

"Um…my eyes are up here."

"Oh, sorry, you're right. It's just, your waist…I kind of have a corset fetish, just in case it wasn't completely obvious."

"Don't worry—it's completely obvious," she said, with a wink. "Lucky you ran into me, then. Not too many people in Japan tightlace—wrong body type for it."

"How did you start?" Joshua asked, as he moved on to his cucumber salad, which he attacked with gusto.

"Oh, about two years ago." Karai lied. My then-boyfriend asked me to try them out, so I did. You can see which of the two lasted longer."

"So I won't have to deal with irate boyfriends, then? Good—I'm quite fond of my teeth. By the way, just how tight is that corset, if you don't mind me asking? I'm guessing…20 inches?"

"Right on the nose."

"And is it comfortable? I know I'd never be able to wear one as tightly as you do, and I know that expecting women to do something men would never do is a horrible double standard, but there it is."

It was, in retrospect, a ridiculous comment, and not really funny. Still, when it was said, it elicited a loud guffah from Karai, the sort which itself elicits strange looks from bystanders, and, although she took it in stride at the moment, it bothered her the more she thought about it latter on.

Karai never laughed. While she was not without a sense of humor, she had proved mostly incapable of producing that particular vocal expulsion: living with her father had given her no chance to develop it, and by the time she'd earned a measure of independence, the action had grown to seem alien to her. Even her Karai Himeru persona rarely laughed—Karai had decided early on that since she couldn't do it naturally, she was better off not trying to fake it.

Worse still, the laughter had felt unexpectedly comforting and warm, like walking through the woods in a spring morning. It was a feeling she wished to feel again, and was now inextricably tied to the one person she was supposed to hurt.

—

"Hey, Karai, are you sure I can get something? I'm afraid I'll destroy the aesthetic perfection or the fridge or something." Like the rest of her apartment, Karai's fridge was organized to the point of eerie tidiness. Food was organized by category, and there was nary a stray smudge to be found.

"You will, but don't worry about it. If you're that worried"—she stepped into the kitchen—"let me get it for you." She had changed into shorts and a t-shirt emblazoned with an animated penguin.

The date had taken a bad turn when a combination of the tight corset and a full stomach had made Karai feel ill. At Joshua's insistence, they cut their dinner short, and headed to Karai's apartment.

"So I'm guessing the date is over?" Joshua asked, as he opened the beer can Karai had passed him. "Feeling better?"

"Much—although right now, I just want to crawl into bed and go to sleep."

"And am I included in that scheme?"

"Not really, no—sorry," Karai said, with a pained look on her face. "Raincheck?"

"Sure—just don't tighten your corsets too much."

"I know…! I just wanted to look good for you."

Joshua blushed. "Thank you. Even so, I'd rather have you not wearing a corset at all than having you get sick on me—you sick is a turn-off."

"Noted. Sorry I ruined our date."

"Ruined? Not really. It would take at least a ninja attack before I'd consider a moment with you ruined." With that comment and a kiss goodbye, Joshua left.

Now alone and with time to kill, Karai proceeded to work on her report on the outing, as required by Foot bylaws--best get unpleasant tasks out of the way as soon as possible. As she recalled the events of the night, the young ninja smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few weeks were uneventful. Karai continued attending Keio University, training with The Foot, and hanging out with her friends. Twice a week, she would go out on dates with Joshua, which ranged from the merely tolerable to the very fun. Particularly memorable was the night when they both went to a concert by an a cappella group connected to one of Joshua's favorite childhood shows. While the music wasn't to Karai's taste, the energy of the venue proved infectious; for an hour or so, she was able to forget all about crime syndicates, college degrees, missions, and boys she wasn't supposed to like.

But that was then. Now, she rushed to answer the door in her true apartment. At the other side was a familiar white-haired middle aged man.

"Hello lass," said Macbeth Mac Findlaech. "It's been an age, hasn't it?"

"Uncle Macbeth!"

A king in 10th century Scotland, Macbeth had met Karai's father two centuries ago, as Japan was dragged kicking and screaming out of its isolationist stance. Despite their myriad differences, their shared longevity made it easy for the two to establish a rapport that had persisted through the decades. After Karai's adoption, he had seamlessly slipped into the role of "uncle", becoming a second father figure to her. As she grew up, she would listen, enthralled, to the stories of his adventures over the world featuring dragons and gargoyles and princesses. As she entered adolescence and began discovering lust, her thoughts would turn to him as she explore her body with trepidation. Now, as The Foot began consuming increasingly large amounts of her time, his position as someone aware of the syndicate without being part of it had made him a confidant of sorts, able to give her advice no one else could.

"So what brings you here?" Karai said, in perfectly enunciated, if stilted, English, as she handed him his customary cup of tea.

"I've some business in Ishimura tomorrow, and thought I'd visit your father beforehand and give him a surprise. However, he doesn't seem to be around."

"He has been in Paris all month, supervising some of our operations there."

Macbeth raised an eyebrow. "Paris, eh? I missed him, then; I was there just last week. Oh well." He sipped from his cup with obvious pleasure—Karai always made exceptionally good tea. "So how are you doing lass? Still working on that business degree?"  
"I will be finished next semester, if all goes well," Karai said. "Uncle, I am glad to see you, but I am afraid I have no food prepared and was just heading out. Would you mind joining me for dinner?"

"For you, lass? Always."

So the two warriors moved to a nearby Indian restaurant, where one of Karai's college friends was employed as a cook. Karai was dismayed for his sake to see that the place was half empty on what should have been one of its busiest hours, although personally, she preferred the privacy.

"Good stuff," Macbeth complimented. "Have I ever told you of my time working for the British army in India?"

Before the older man could begin the tale, he was interrupted by the ringing of Karai Himeru's cell phone. "Hey, Joshua," Karai greeted, in a tone completely unlike the one she had been using seconds before. "Yes, it's still on—I'll meet you at your apartment. Looking forward to it—but really, I need to hang up; I'm with a friend. See ya."

Macbeth smiled. "So, a new love, eh? I'm glad."

Karai's face went red. She returned his smile with a nervous one of her own. "You misunderstand. I am only seeing him in order to complete a mission."

Macbeth's smile evaporated. He laid down his fork. "I see."

"You do not approve." Karai said. It was not a question. For a moment, she thought of challenging him—how dare he judge her? She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her face got redder. Try as she might, she never could go up against her adopted uncle.

"Does this fellow like you?" Macbeth asked.

"How should I know?"

"Lass. Please. You're smarter than that."

"Yes. He is absolutely smitten."

"And do you have feelings for him?"

"I…I do," Karai stammered. "Not romantically, but I do like him—he is a good man. I could see him as a friend."

"And do you enjoy what you're doing, this ruse?"

Silence. "No, I do not," she finally said. "But I have no choice. The mission—"

"Aye, there's the rub."

For a minute, neither said anything. The waitress removed the dinner plates and replaced their drinks.

"Karai, listen. Perhaps I've overreacted; I've been on the receiving end of those types of schemes, and it's not something I wish on other people. I also understand that you have certain obligations. But this line of work of yours will damage your soul if you're not careful, and I'd hate to see you lose yourself in order to satisfy some task masters."

"Even if this 'task master' is my father?"

"Yes. I'd never say this to his face, but I think your father can often be a very cruel man. It's a trait you don't possess, and I'm very glad for that."

Karai's wanted to defend her father, but couldn't: Macbeth was right, something she'd known since she was a young girl.

After Karai became fourteen, the elder Saki would occasionally have her remain in his office after school, in preparation for the day when she would replace him. On one such day, Saki interviewed Foot Ninja Squad Leader Tetsuo Ichimoji, who had led a disastrous mission a week prior and was now being taken to task. While the man was clearly responsible for the mission's failure and clearly unfit for his position, the offence merited, in Karai's eyes, nothing more than a demotion. Her father disagreed: after hearing his report on the matter, he made sure it was the last thing Tetsuo ever said.

Even as a teen, Karai had been familiar with violence; until then, she had though her father had chased her squeamishness away. This was different, however: violence for violence's sake—and worse, her father reveled in it. For a week, she couldn't speak to him. Even now the memory made her flinch.

"Lass? Are you alright?" Macbeth asked, bringing Karai back to the present.

"I am fine," Karai lied.

Their dinner finished, Karai and Macbeth walked back to her apartment without a word. Halfway through, Karai received another phone call, this time on her "business" cell phone: a call girl working for the Foot had just been killed, and the apparent killer, her John, was on the run. As the Foot operative nearest to the hotel where the fatal tryst had taken place, Karai agreed to catch him. "Will you help me?" She asked Macbeth.

"For you, lass, anything."

The killer, the message reported, had taken his car and was on the run. While that gave him a few minutes' head start, Karai had several advantages over him: greater mobility, extensive knowledge of the city, and rush hour. Suddenly grateful that she was wearing comfortable jeans and sneakers, Karai raced through the Shibuya streets, trying to get ahead of the escapees' car. Macbeth would follow it from behind. As she ran across sidewalks, leaping, somersaulting, vaulting in order to gain every possible second, the uncertainty she'd felt minutes early fell away. This is what she had been born to do—no ambiguity or mixed feeling, just a wrong that needed to be righted.

Macbeth called Karai; the killer's car had just entered an underground parking lot. They had him.

In retrospect, Miyuki Asakura would not have killed a prostitute that day. But some things you don't forgive, and attempted blackmail was one of them. Still, no use crying over that, at this point remorse would only muddle his thinking, and that would be the end of it.

No, Miyuki was still ahead of the game. He'd left the hotel post-haste, and would ditch his car in a few moments. A quick trip to the bank, and he'd have enough money to go off the grid for a few weeks while he sorted things out. Sure, taking 3,000,000 yen from his bank account would draw some suspicions, but the tax people weren't likely to slit his throat for it.

As left the car, Miyuki allowed himself to feel a measure of confidence—bad choice. He made if ten feet from the vehicle when a sharp pain in his right leg made him lose his footing. He looked down, and found that a throwing star had just become lodged in his leg, just below the knee. It was almost enough to make him believe in karma. From the shadows, he saw a woman emerge from the parking lot's shadows. "Listen can't we talk this over?" Miyuki asked, his confidence now somewhere in Okinawa.

"Of course. Did you kill Midori Green?"

"The prostitute?" Miyuki asked—immediately cursing at himself for giving the game away. Still, there was a chance. The woman had no weapons on hand, and was still several feet away. If he could get to his gun from his briefcase before she could close the space between them…

"Whatever you are trying, boy, don't," said a new voice, speaking in Japanese too formal to be entirely natural. "She may not be armed, but I am, and I have a clear shot at you."

The woman approached Miyuki, swatted his briefcase away and, with strength and ease that seemed incommensurate with her size, lifted him up by his neck. "Get back in the car," she ordered. "In the back."

Wincing as he placed pressure on his injured leg, Miyuki obeyed. He felt as hot, sticky blood from his injury seeped through his socks and into his foot. The female Foot agent—and given the circumstances, that's what she had to be—stood beside him, while the male—a foreigner, Miyuki now noticed—took the driver's seat.

"Drive us away," the woman commanded. She produced a tanto knife from her purse and pressed it against Miyuki's. One bump in the road, and it was bye-bye femoral artery.

"Where are you taking me?" Miyuki asked, as the car exited the parking lot. Snot fell freely through his face, mixing with his profuse sweat.

"Away," the woman answered.

For several minutes, nobody said anything. Miyuki noticed that they were driving nowhere in particular and were, in fact, going in circles. "Wha-what are you going to do with me?" He asked. A stone gargoyle would have been more responsive.

Eventually, the car made its way to an empty warehouse. The woman kicked Miyuki out of the car, adding scraped hands to the kidnapped man's list of injuries.

"Please, I've got a wife… Please don't kill me," Miyuki pleaded. He could feel the contents of his stomach swirling; he hoped they remained there.

"Well, lad, you should have thought of that beforehand," said the foreigner. "She'll just have to adjust to being a widow."

"Is it money? I have money."

"Oh, we will get your money—do you know how much you have cost us? But that is not enough. I think a more permanent reminder is needed."

Miyuki closed his eyes, bracing for the inevitable slice. Once he opened them, it did not take long to note his right hand now standing limply on the floor, or the blood quickly spewing from the stump it was once attached to.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, Joshua!" Karai cried out towards the bathroom, where her fake boyfriend was taking a post-coital shower. "Can I use your computer to check my e-mails?"

"Sure."

It was two days since the incident with Miyuki, and three weeks since Karai had inserted herself into Joshua's life. Karai was now ready to enter the next phase in her plan.

Karai removed a pendrive from her bag and connected it to the computer; a few drags and clicks later, the program it contained had been passed to Joshua's own hard drive. Designed by the boys at Foot Engineering, the program would, barring an unforeseen miracle or three, remain undetected as it fulfilled its programming; once it made its way to the Cyberbiotics network (thanks to Joshua's casual disregard of rules forbidding the use of personal software in office computers) it would quietly collect the information The Foot wanted, split in into fragments, and send it to thousands of untraceable dummy locations, where it would be retrieved by Foot engineers.

Her task now completed, Karai turned off the computer, she heard the pat-pat-pat of shower water stop. A few minutes later, Joshua reappeared, dressing for the day. "Hey, Karai," he said, as he buttoned his shirt. "I have to tell you: my mom and stepdad are coming here for a visit in a week or so, and they kind of want to meet you. They've—"

"Wait…you told them about me?" Karai interrupted, her face contorting into the gamut of human emotion.

"Shouldn't I have?"

"It's fine," a blushing, flustered Karai said. "I just didn't think we were at that stage yet."

"You haven't told your father yet?"

"No—then again, I never tell him of any of my boyfriends."

"Oh," Joshua responded, downcast. "In any case, will you come have dinner with us? I'm sure they'd love you."

Karai considered her options before realizing she had no options at all. "Sure, why not?" she said tentatively.

"Awesome," Joshua said, his face as bright as a well-polished katana. He moved towards Karai and gave her a simple, unpretentious, kiss. "I love you, you know that?"

"Y-yes. I know. I love you too," Karai answered. What else could she say?

"In any case, my parents will be pleased—they've always wanted to meet one of my girlfriends, and I've always disappointed them by not having any," he said with a sly smile.

"Smartass."

The meal turned out to be a lovely affair. The Claibornes were a perfectly affable couple, very much still in love with each other, and obviously quite fond of their son. They presented the sort of warmth that had her own father rarely ever displayed nowadays. It made Karai jealous. As they were eating, she got a text message on her phone: the program she'd planted on Joshua's computer had failed, and she'd have to go to Cyberbiotics to install the program herself.

—

"You know what we should do?" Lin asked, as she paced around her room. The rain made its pat-pat-pat sound on Lin's window, and the storm showed no sign of letting up.

"Bored?" Karai, as she sat, cross-legged, on her friend's couch.

"Heck, yes. Anyway, we should call Takeshi and the guys and have a little party. God knows the weather won't let us do anything else."

"The guys" consisted of a handful of men who had gone up Foot Academy with Karai and Lin, but had decided to forgo the usual career path for graduates and enter the pleasure industry, and whom Lin and Karai occasionally hired whenever they wanted a consequence-free good time with a known quantity. Takeshi Miyazawa in particular was Karai's favorite of the lot: clocking in at almost two meters and 220 pounds of muscle, he was the Japanese equivalent of the Aryan ideal. He was also incredibly smart, possessing wit of the type that came back around to resemble stupidity. Why he'd chosen prostitution as his career path, particularly when he was also in a five-year old committed relationship had been the subject of much speculation among their social group.

The call was made, and within an hour, Takeshi showed up at Lin's with a friend. Drinks were served from Lin's fully stocked bar, Griffin Silver played on the stereo, and the party was under way. Normally, this sort of party was one of Karai's favorite ways to pass the time—a chance to unwind with peers. However, this time, she found herself distracted, even as she and Takeshi began their usual descent into carnality.

"Takeshi, do you think I'm a cruel person?" Karai asked they lay naked in Lin's couch. Lin herself had disappeared into her room with Takeshi's companion.

Takeshi hesitated. As post-sex conversations went, this was a new one. "Well, do you try to be?" he answered uncertainly.

"I don't know—I like to think not."

And yet, she reflected, she could cut off the limbs from a man sobbing for mercy without flinching. True he'd been a murderer—but Karai wasn't sure that changed things.

"For what it's worth, I've never seen you be cruel, intentionally or otherwise." He brushed a strand of stray hair from Karai's face. "What brought this on?"

Speaking in generalities, Karai told Takeshi of her predicament. He, for his part, listened attentively, like a psychologist would—or a bartender.

"Okay, first things first," Takeshi said, once Karai had finished. "You're fucked. Somebody will end up getting hurt, whether you want it or not—most likely him. You know that, right?"

"Yes," Karai admitted. She'd reached that conclusion almost immediately, although she'd tried desperately to find alternatives.

"So, do you know what you're going to do?"

"I think I do. After the mission is complete, I will tell him about the ruse—that I used him to obtain information from the company. Nothing, terribly specific, but enough so that he'll get the idea. He deserves that much."

"Sounds sensible enough, if that's what you want. Your cover remains more or less intact. He gets a measure of the truth. Nobody has to die."

"Yes. But that does not mean I have to like it."

"Yeah, well—if everything went your way, you'd be a terribly unlikable person."

"Heh." Karai smiled. "True."


	5. Chapter 5

**Lies, Chapter 5: Upload**

Karai woke up, as usual, at the crack of dawn. She performed her usual hour of exercise (the first of three that she did throughout the day), showered, dressed, and had her customary 1500-calorie breakfast. Today was the day. As she stepped outside into the cold December air, Karai could feel a knot growing in her stomach. If everything went well, she would be telling Joshua the truth today…and then what?

Her plan was a relatively crude one: show up at Joshua's office and lead him outside with the pretense of taking him out for a picnic lunch; excuse herself to go to the bathroom; and return to his office, where she'd upload the scouring program herself. Since most of Joshua's co-workers would also be out for lunch, she did not anticipate much interference. Afterwards, she would tell Joshua the truth, or at least a version of it that would not put The Foot or himself in jeopardy.

As noon approached, Karai made her way to the Shinjuku Mitsui Building, where Cyberbiotics Japan' offices were located. "Hello, Mr. Kobayashi. How are you today?" Karai asked the security guard at the front desk.

"Morning, Ms. Himeru. Taking Joshua out for lunch again?"

"That's right."

Karai was let in, and, as usual, she took the elevator to the building's 25th floor, where the first of the two Cyberbiotics offices in the building was located. She noted that, as predicted, the place was mostly empty, with only a handful or so of the office's 56 employees about—all the better. Joshua, as usual, was working in his cubicle. "Hey cutie," Karai greeted. "Ready to head out?"

"Actually, give me a moment to go to the bathroom first. Nature calls and all that."

Thanking heaven for small mercies, Karai turned towards Joshua's computer, inserted the USB pendrive, and watched as the program automatically uploaded itself. Easy-peasy, just as the tech boys had promised. As soon as the status bar indicated that the program had been successfully uploaded, she removed the drive. Mission accomplished, again.

No sooner had she exited the cubicle when every light in the office went out. A couple of seconds later, they returned, accompanied by the familiar hum of an auxiliary power plant. Karai felt it instantly: something was very, very wrong. She glanced at the front door, where five masked men carrying machine guns had just entered the office.

"NOBODY MOVE!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes:**_ I just realized that, with the exception of chapter one, I did not include the various subtitles I'd created for each of the chapters. Sorry about that.  
_

* * *

**Lies, Chapter 6: Her and His Circumstances.  
**

**Her circumstances**

As the masked invaders shouted orders to the Cyberbiotics employees, Karai quickly weighted her options. In closer quarters, she would probably be able to take on five fire-armed men without trouble. In an office taking up most of the building floor, with several potential innocents spread about…? Not so much—at least not without a weapon of her own (how did they get theirs past security?)

By now, two of the invaders were going cubicle to cubicle, rounding up the people in the floor. In a minute, they would approach hers. Hide, fight, or comply? All had their pros and cons, but in the end, she chose to comply—not only did she have her cover to think of, a successful raid would cover her own peccadilloes nicely. No sooner had she made her decision, when one of the invaders approached her cubicle. "You, out."

As she was led into one of the floor's corner offices, Karai noted that her attacker had made two mistakes: not only did he remain well within striking distance, his finger was not on his machine gun's trigger. Good to know. Mistake number 3: the shades on the manager's office were not drawn, giving her a view of most of the floor through the glass pane. Whoever these mercenaries were, they were hardly Foot Ninja material. Inside the office, Karai found Joshua with the rest of the hostages. "Please tell me they at least let you finished peeing," she asked.

"And wash my hands," Joshua joked grimly. "So what do we do?"

"What do you mean what do we do? We stay put."

"You two, shut your mouths," said the mercenary standing guard over the group. "And that goes for all of you—any talking or sudden movements, and you can join the no longer living. Stay quiet, and you can probably get back to work in an hour or two."

One of the hostages, however, had more guts than smarts. Standing up, she ran towards the office's fire alarm, and managed to pull it before being gunned down.

As the cacophony of the alarm and exclamations filled the room, Karai heard their guard talk hurriedly into his headset. "It was my fault, boss. Somebody tried to play the hero, I couldn't stop her in time. Yeah, she's down. Plan B, then?" He turned to the hostages, and in a tone that suggested he was trying to mask his nervousness, said: "Congratulations, boys: you've just been upgraded from innocent hostages to bargaining chips."

Karai quickly reassessed her options. Judging by their guard, the mercenaries seemed ill-prepared for the current situation. They were growing frantic, and frantic people made mistakes, and mistakes could very well lead to more dead bodies.

Her father would have told her that the other hostages were irrelevant, and that only her survival and her cover mattered. Then again, he would have rather died than be placed in a position where he was powerless. Macbeth would have saved the hostages, even if he didn't care for them—but he had that "couldn't be killed" thing going for him. What would Karai do?

"Joshua, I need you to cause a distraction," she whispered in English. "Nothing big, I just need the guard to stop paying attention for a second or two."

"What, why?" Joshua whispered back Are you insane!?"

"Joshua. Trust me. I know what I'm doing. Please."

Joshua said nothing for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes brightened with determination. "All right."

The distraction came in a minute, as Joshua threw his watch, a rather expensive Rolex that Karai had given him as a present, at the mercenary. The improvised projectile hit its target right in his eye, which was more than enough; in an instant, Karai had crossed the distance between them and had elbowed him in the nose. She wrested the machine gun from his hands, and with one swift strike in the solar plexus, he was down.

Karai quickly searched the downed mercenary for any useful items. She found a handgun in a leg holster, and a flash grenade. She also removed the mercenary's earpiece and placed it around her own.

With the hostages out of immediate danger, dealing with the mercenaries became a matter of course. Darting between cubicles to stay out of sight, Karai used hand-to-hand combat to take out first two attackers. Afterwards, she headed towards the office central mainframe, where, a merc furiously worked on a laptop that he'd attached to the larger computer, as well as a second hostile standing guard. Three shots later, and they were no longer in play.

The element of surprise now completely gone, Karai prepared to face her last, now unseen, attacker. Given what she knew of the mercenaries' armaments, she could see several ways in which she could be attacked. Best case scenario, he could try to face Karai directly, which allowed her the chance to act first. Worst case scenario, he could say "fuck it" and decide to spray the entire office with gunfire in order to draw her out. Pressing her back against the mainframe, and hoping that the remaining mercenary would refrain from harming the computer they had been trying to access, Karai waited for her opponent to make a move. As she waited, she allowed a traitorous little stray thought to distract her for a moment: how would the day have turned out if she had decided to wear a corset?

As she tried to keep focused, Karai heard a hollow clanging beside her. In a second, Karai's world was washed away in white as a flash grenade went off one feet in front of her.

Blinded, her ears ringing uselessly, Karai forced herself to remain calm. Waiting for her eyesight to return was not a option: the remaining enemy would easily find and kill her in the five seconds that it would take for her to recover. She would have to find another way to defeat him. Her mind went back to one of her first martial arts lessons, where her instructor, whose eyes had been blindfolded and ears plugged, defeated five attackers with ease. The senses, he had argued, were no different than a sword: terribly useful, but something the true master did not need.

"Little man," she said, trying to emulate the tone her father's voice took whenever he dealt with subordinates he was displeased with. "Do you have any idea who you are dealing with? I am Karai, daughter of The Shredder, and heir to the Foot Clan. Attack me at your own peril."

Through her still-ringing ears, Karai heard the most beautiful sound in the world: "I'll risk it," the mercenary said.

Now or never, Karai thought. Sprinting at full speed towards the source of the voice, Karai heard two shots ring out before she made contact. Going on pure instinct, she felt around for the mercenary's neck and pulled her own gun's trigger.

As her sight returned, Karai took a look at the downed mercenary, whose blood now spilled over the office carpet. She had survived. Now came the hard part. Karai returned to the office, where, after a quick victory smooch, she entreated Joshua to join her in escaping the office building.

The building's emergency staircase proved to be mercifully empty of either mercenaries or law enforcement officials, and Karai and Joshua were able to lose themselves among the evacuating workers and make it to the parking lot without incident. As they raced through the twisting hallways, Karai calculated: her cover was blown. She now had no choice but telling the truth, or a suitably edited version of it. Knowing this felt somewhat comforting: however things worked out, her ordeal would be over. Finally, they made their way to a nearby park, where both could be away from prying eyes.

Her adrenaline quickly dissipating, Karai could feel her neck throbbing. She felt around and saw that her palm had been almost entirely soaked in her own blood. "Are you okay?" Joshua asked.

"It's fine—it's just a flesh wound. I'll have it checked out later." In truth, the combination of the wound and the outside cold was making her feel woozy. But now was not the time.

While Karai knew exactly what she wanted to say, her mouth could not form the words. Finally, after an excruciating minute of silence, she stalled: "What do you want me to say?" She tried to look at Joshua's eyes, but couldn't: they had lost all their shine, and now looked simultaneously alien and wholly familiar, although she couldn't say how.

"For starters, you could tell me who you are," Joshua said, with disconcerting calmness. "Somehow, I don't think too many psychology students can singlehandedly take on armed mercenaries."

"What can I say? If you want to believe that I am some sort of spy…well, you would not be far from the truth. I was sent to spy on you."

There it was, the (incomplete) truth. Telling it did not make her feel any better, nor did it seem to have any effect on Joshua. For an eternity, he remained silent. His face spoke volumes.

"So what? Is everything you've told me a lie? Is Karai Himeru even your real name?"

"No."

Another interminable pause. "Why?"

"It was what my employers wanted. I cannot say any more than that."

"Well, who are you, then? I think I deserve that, at least."

Yes, you do. "I cannot say."

"Dandy. My parents will be pleased. Dee-fucking-lightful. I supposed you never really loved me, then."

So much for getting out of this without getting hurt—whether intentionally or not, Joshua was going for the jugular here. "I…cannot say."

Karai felt a chill, as her sweat grew unbearably cold in the winter weather. Joshua, on the other hand, seemed to be fine, despite having left his jacket back at the office. More silence.

"So, what now?" Joshua asked. "We go our separate ways and never speak to each other again?"

"That is the plan. By this time tomorrow, Karai Himeru will disappear. There will be no legal evidence of my existence." Already all traces of her legend were being systematically erased.

"Lovely. So you get off free and clear, then. Suppose I tried to bring you in to the authorities right now? I bet they'd be quite interested in knowing who killed all those people up there."

"You would fail. You would end up hurt, or worse."

"I'd still give it a whirl. You've already done your worst. Plus, you deserve it."

There it was. The single inescapable truth. Try as she might, she could not bring herself to disagree. "You may not believe me, but I never wanted to hurt you." The words rang hollow, but she still had to try. If only he could understand…

Joshua exploded: "Didn't want—didn't want to hurt me? Jesus fuck, Karai, would you listen to yourself?" he ejaculated in English. "You show up in my life, feed me a bunch of bullshit designed to make me fall for you, pull the rug down from under me and expect me to think it's okay? If you didn't want to hurt me, you should have just have said, 'I'm not interested', you heartless bitch. You knew exactly what you were doing, so stop lying to me."

Karai had no response. Even if Joshua was wrong about her choice in the matter, he was still right.

"Joshua…"

"Get out of my sight."

So there it was. The truth was revealed. It did not, contrary to popular belief, set her free. Intentionally or not, she had helped destroy the life of a person she cared for deeply, and in doing so, she had finally obtained the answer to the question she had been asking herself for the past week. Takeshi, it turned out, had been wrong.

—

**His Circumstances**

As he exited the bathroom stall, Joshua was surprised to be staring at the barrel of a machine gun. "Oh, hello there," he said, he said to the gun's owner, a man stocked to the gills in assault gear.

"Come with me. Silently."

"Sure. But can you let me wash my hands first?"

The armed man led Joshua to the manager's office, where most of his co-workers were apparently being collected. Karai was nowhere to be seen, however, and would not appear until all the hostages had been stripped of their cell phones and communication gear. To his surprise, she didn't seem scared at all. "So what do we do?" he asked her.

"What do you mean what to we do? We stay put."

"You two, shut your mouths," barked the lone mercenary left to stand guard over the group. "And that goes for all of you—any talking or sudden movements, and you can say hello to the no longer living. Stay quiet, and you can probably get back to work in an hour or two."

As soon as their captor said this, one of Joshua's co-workers, whom he had always thought of as a spineless simp, ran towards the office's fire alarm, and managed to pull it before being gunned down. As she died, her face contorted into an expression of supreme surprise, as if her last action had also taken her unawares.

As the room exploded into chaotic chatter, it struck Joshua as funny how the typical Japanese stoicism disappeared in the face of automatic weaponry. At this rate, he wouldn't be surprised if they were all killed—their captor certainly looked flustered enough to try it.

"Joshua, I need you to cause a distraction," he heard someone say in English. It took him a moment to realize it had been Karai. "Nothing big, I just need the guard to stop paying attention for a second or two."

Joshua's first thought was that his girlfriend was insane. "Are you insane!?" he asked.

"Joshua. Trust me. I know what I'm doing. Please." She said this with a look combining exasperation, and complete confidence. What else could he do but agree?

Joshua took quick stock of everything he had on him, searching for anything that would serve Karai's purposes. Unfortunately, most of his stuff was back in his cubicle, and the attackers had taken his cell. He felt around in his pockets as discreetly as he could when he felt his watch get tangled up in the folds of his pants. His five-hundred dollar, stainless steel watch. Karai had given it to her after she'd accidentally broken his old one. Bingo.

Hoping that for once his aim wouldn't suck, he lobbed his watch at the goon's face. Miraculously, it hit him square in the face—it even drew some blood. However, this wasn't half as impressive as Karai, who in a second had bridged the gap between her and the armed man. Two lighting-fast blows later, and he was down.

Joshua could do little more than stare, astonished, as Karai—cute, sexy, smart Karai, who had just proven that she kicked ass literally as well as figuratively, issued a rapid-fire stream of instructions to the hostages: close the door, call the cops and explain the situation, use the desk as a barricade, lay down on the floor and for god's sake stay away from the windows. It wasn't until she handed him their fallen captor's machine gun that he actually realized what she planned on doing.

"Wait, you're not planning to take on them, are you?" he said, feeling stupid as he said it—of course that's what she planned.

"I have to, sweetie. Things are going badly for these people, and if I don't stop them they're liable to start killing people."

"But…"

"I'm glad you're concerned, but really, I have to do this." She smiled and kissed him. "Trust me."

After Karai left, and the room properly barricaded as per her instructions, there was nothing to do but wait. Within seconds, he could hear the Cyberbiotics office fill with the sound of gunfire, even over the still-blaring fire alarm. But he couldn't focus on that. His mind was still focusing on the fact that his girlfriend was apparently…apparently what?

It was incredible, in all sense of the words. Sure, plenty of people learned martial arts or some other form of self defense. However, not many could find a practical use for it, much less use it with enough confidence and skilled to take on armed men. Clearly, Karai had not been entirely forthcoming about herself.

Joshua's mind turned to the _Ashishizoku_—the so-called Foot Clan. On of the many rumors associated with the crime group was that they often employed actual honest-to-God ninjas. Could Karai actually be one of them?

An eternity later–although his recovered watch outrageously indicated that it had only been a minute—Karai called the hostages out. It was over.

"Joshua, we have to get out of here," said a visibly tired Karai, in English, as the now-freed hostages raced out of the office. He noticed a look of total satisfaction in her face, reminiscent of the look she usually had after sex.

"What? Why? We're safe, aren't we?"

"Sure, but I rather not have to answer questions about how I killed four armed men, capisce?"

"Point."

As they raced through the twisting hallways of the building's emergency stairway, Joshua calculated: Karai had lied—or at the very least omitted some major details about herself. While on one hand the idea that his girlfriend was secretly a ninja was awesome, the whole made him wonder—what else didn't he know? His conclusions were not satisfactory. Finally, they made their way to a nearby park, where, according to Karai, they would be allowed to talk in peace.

As he regained his breath, Joshua noted that Karai had been bleeding, rather seriously, from the neck. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"It's fine—it's just a flesh wound. I'll have it checked out later." Her eyes, Joshua noted, contained none of the easygoing accessibility that they usually did. Instead, hers had become indistinguishable from the mercenaries'.

His next words should have been easy ones. Even so, Joshua found himself unable to talk. Karai showed the same inability (or unwillingness), until finally she broke the minute-long silence.

"What do you want me to say?"

"For starters, you could tell me who you are. Somehow, I don't think too many psychology science students can singlehandedly take on armed mercenaries."

"What can I say?" Karai said, with a steel on her voice that matched her eyes, and one he had never heard her use before. "If you want to believe that I'm some sort of spy—you would not be far from the truth. I was sent to spy on you."

And with that, the world Joshua had built for himself in the last couple of months came crashing down around him.

For years, Joshua had considered himself to be fundamentally unlovable—that he had a fundamental flaw that made him instantly unattractive to women who knew him for any longer than a day. There was, in his mind, nothing irrational about this conclusion—it was as scientific as the theory of evolution. However, as he left adolescence, he abandoned this theory, coming to believe instead that his troubles stemmed from not having met the right person: once that happened, everything would fall into place.

Although his relationship with Karai was still young, he already felt it in his gut that she was the one; after a week with her, the recriminations had disappeared like so much morning fog.

Now, however, Karai's words had brought back the emotional fog with a vengeance. It was irrefutable: the only way he would find love would be if somebody arranged for him to find it.

"So what? Is everything you've told me a lie?" he blurted, once he found his voice. Is Karai Himeru even your real name?"

"No."

A thousand words crossed Joshua's mind. Only one managed to make it to his tongue. "Why?"

"It was what my employers wanted. I cannot say any more than that."

"Well, who are you, then? I think I deserve that, at least."

"I cannot say."

"Dandy. My parents will be pleased. Dee-fucking-lightful. I supposed you never really loved me, then?"

For a moment, Karai's eyes softened. "I…cannot say."

More silence. Joshua noticed that Karai was shivering—having an open wound exposed to the cold November air could not be fun. In fact, he was feeling a chill as well—he'd forgotten his jacket back at the office. He felt like vomiting.

For a minute, neither said anything. "So, what now?" he finally asked. "We go our separate ways and never speak to each other again?"

"That is the plan. By this time tomorrow, Karai Himeru will disappear. There will be no legal evidence of my existence."

"Lovely. So you get off free and clear, then. Suppose I tried to bring you in to the authorities right now? I bet they'd be quite interested in knowing who killed all those people up there."

"You would fail. You would end up hurt, or worse."

"I'd still give it a whirl. You've done your worst already. Plus, you deserve it."

"You may not believe me, but I never wanted to hurt you."

At hearing this, Joshua's anger, which he had tried to keep controlled simmer, exploded into a scalding boil. He wanted to punch her. "Didn't want—didn't want to hurt me? Jesus fuck, Karai, would you listen to yourself? You show up in my life, feed me a bunch of bullshit designed to make me fall for you, pull the rug down from under me and expect me to think it's okay? If you didn't want to hurt me, you should have just have said, 'I'm not interested', you heartless bitch. You knew exactly what you were doing, so stop lying to me." His cheeks felt cold; he realized it came from the freezing tears.

"Joshua…"

"Get out of my sight."

Joshua watched as the steel returned to Karai's eyes. "As you wish. Goodbye, Joshua." With those words, Karai—cute, sexy, smart, heartless, traitorous, Karai—disappeared into the streets of Tokyo, leaving him alone in the winter chill.

The two youths then went their separate ways: Joshua returned to the office, were firemen and the police and newsmen had converged, while Karai went to the nearest clinic that would treat her without asking uncomfortable questions.

The years that followed would be eventful ones for Karai. Soon after her mission was completed, she was made head of the Foot's Japanese division. Soon after that, she restored order to the New York Foot, met a quartet of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, lost her father, and began a relationship with one of her employees. Joshua, on the other hand, would eventually fall in love and marry Hana Miyuzaki, a vegan library science student who used "boku" and "omae" instead of "atakushi" and "anata", tightlaced, unabashedly classified herself as an otaku, and went crazy over boys with shaggy hair. The two would not see each other again for seven years.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _F.Y.I., y'all: there's still a couple of epilogues to go. Also, apparently the link to the "Monsters of New York site isn't showing up on the actual chapter, which I find rather weird, since I'd attributed the recent rise in viewers to my pimpage on this site--anti-spam measures? This won't do at all. In any case, if you want to find it, just look for the home page listed on my profile. _


	7. Epilogue 1

**2008 **

Karai let out a satisfied sigh. After several minutes of pulling, gasping and tying, the corset she had been lacing now fit more-than-tightly against her torso. Another minute, and she was more or less accustomed to the restricted movement and breathing it brought upon.

It had been an eventful year. After a devastating battle against an ancient demon bearing her father's name and face, she had finally begun regaining a semblance of her old life. No longer haunted by her failure to save her father from his exile at the hand of the Utroms, she had managed to begin focusing on the one thing she had been neglecting for years: herself. To that point, she had begun repairing her relationship with the turtles, and working on bringing the Foot back from the brink of destruction. She'd even begun dating again.

Although she initially spent time with Chaplin (and it was always Chaplin—as far as she was concerned, he had no first name) more out of gratitude than actual desire, the young engineer surprised her by being a much more…balanced than he'd initially seemed: there was more to him than just an otaku genius. Perhaps most importantly, he stood out from the Foot rank and file by being a truly nice guy, the type she hadn't seen much since, well…since Joshua five years earlier.

As she zipped up a skirt belonging to an outfit belonging to some anime character or another—one of the things she did as part of her and Chaplin's play—Karai couldn't help but be reminded of her former mark, something that had been happening a lot, lately. He'd liked anime and robots and science fiction and corsets too.

Initially, this extended feeling of déjà vu bothered her: she had managed to mostly forget about the guy, and she did not need those memories brought up again, particularly when they raised several uncomfortable questions about her current relationship.

However, as time passed, Karai came to realize that those questions were irrelevant. Joshua was gone, and even if she were to find him again—and she could—trying to return to his life, even if it was only to explain and apologize, would likely do more harm than good. Her decision, in retrospect, had been the most sound one, even if she hadn't liked it back then. Like with her father, nothing good could come of dwelling on it and letting it eat away at her. Chaplin, on the other hand, was available, completely aware of her darker side, and was unquestionably devoted to her despite it. Even if she did not yet truly love him—and she wasn't sure she didn't—he made her happy. And right now, that was enough.


	8. Epilogue 2

**December 2002**

He'd noticed her sitting on the bar the minute he'd come in; with a waist like that, it had been impossible not to. Her first thought at seeing her was the instant belief that she was yet another perfect, unattainable woman. That he had been able to get her attention, and better yet keep it, seemed nothing short of miraculous. Of course, as it turned out, that was all a lie. Everything had been a carefully orchestrated drama directed specifically for his benefit. And for what? He still wasn't sure.

To his surprise, he was no longer mad—any anger that he'd felt had apparently exhausted itself during that last conversation. Now he merely felt numb.

"How may I help you?" The waitress asked, bringing Joshua back to the present. She spoke in a too-cute tone that Joshua found insufferably artificial. Another orchestrated drama—at least this one wore that fact on its sleeve.

"One black tea, and one peach tea."

"Black and peach tea? Okay!" she said cheerfully. As she left, Joshua noticed a man come inside the restaurant. He looked like any salaryman, except for his tiny (even for Japan) stature, and the fact that no salaryman would be seen outside of the workplace at this hour. He scouted the room several times, looking over Joshua several times before realizing that it was he whom he was actually looking for, and sat down behind him.

"You know, I really wish you'd wear a name tag or something—just so I don't have to waste time finding you every time we meet," said the not-a-salaryman, in English, as way of introduction.

"And I really wish you'd choose a different place for these meetings. This one makes me feel like a total pervert," Joshua responded, in kind.

"It has its benefits: people really don't pay attention to other costumers when they're too busy trying to see the waitresses' underthings. In any case, let's talk business, shall we?"

"Let's. Thirty-four."

"Thirty-two."

"So I heard the raid at your workplace went south in a hurry," asked the salaryman, who, as far as Joshua knew, was known only as Miyamoto.

"That's an understatement. I'm sure the Society wasn't expecting to lose five out of their six mercs—heck, no one was."

"Yes, life's funny that way. I'd say this one was one of God's better jokes. In any case, do you have your report?"

Joshua opened his messenger bag and took out a file folder, which he handed over to Miyamoto.

"That's my report on that whole mission, plus everything Karai ever told me about herself—although I don't know how useful that will be. I looked at some of the information afterwards, and none of it checks out."

"Did you ever suspect anything?" Miyamoto asked, as he went over the file.

"Not really. My fault—if a woman finds me attractive, I'm not going to jinx it by looking at her too hard."

"I guess that's understandable," Miyamoto said skeptically. "Did she suspect anything?"

"No—certainly not. She never found any of my 'special' files, and when last we talked, she definitively believed I was who I said I was. I'm pretty sure me being her target was just coincidence."

"Good. I'll get my men on her. Whoever she really is, you'll know by the end of the week."

The waitress arrived with the two cups of tea. "Peach," said Miyamoto, with a smile that chilled Joshua to the bone. "You remembered." He dunked his teabag into the water until it became fully opaque and began drinking. "By the way, you'll be glad to know that the mission was a complete success. We've obtained the specs for the cloaking technology, and our man on the police force tells us that the only suspects are the mercenaries. Nobody connects you to any of it."

"Good to hear. I wouldn't want to have spent all those months for nothing."

"Really," Miyamoto said, as he looked over the various pictures of Karai Joshua had included in the file. "I'd hardly consider spending time with this beauty 'nothing'. In any case, you'll receive a call with your next set of orders in a month or so—along with the info on this Karai person. You have until then to get your affairs in order."

"Understood."

* * *

**Author's Note:** _So yeah, that's it--the end to my first--and possibly most self-indulgent--fan fic. What did y'all think? Comment and critique away. Also, stay tuned for the next story, a single-chapter note on April O'Neil's thoughts on _Turtles Forever_, and after that, _Electric Boogaloo_, a fic elaborating on just what Elisa Maza did during "City at War". _


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